Homes DestroyedIt has been more than 20 years since the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, beginning an era of death and destruction for its people. Numbers vary, but estimates suggest that anywhere from 600,000 to 1.2 million civilians were killed during 10 years of conflict with the Soviets, and roughly five years of oppression by the Taliban. According to the U.N., more than six million Afghans became refugees. Two million still have not returned home. Part of the problem is that there is nothing to return to, as many homes and businesses have been completely destroyed.
CREDIT: U.N. Commission for Children and Armed Conflict

Ruined BusinessesAfter 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, there are few buildings that have not been marked by bullets or bombs. The U.N. estimates that 50 percent of Afghan villages have been destroyed or severely damaged, and 25 percent of the paved roadways ruined. Estimates for the rebuilding process range from 6 to 20 billion dollars. Thanks to work by the United Nations Development Program and other international agencies, two billion dollars in aid money has already begun to flow into the country. But the process of rebuilding will be a monumental one in a country where basic services like clean drinking water are only available to one quarter of the population.
CREDIT: Jessie Deeter

Continuing HazardsBack in 1996, the AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE reported that one person an hour was killed by landmines and unexploded shells in Kabul alone. About 150 people are maimed or killed each month by landmines. Afghanistan currently holds the unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily mined country on the planet -- the U.N. estimates that 724 million square meters of land have been mined or are contaminated with unexploded shells. The U.N. and other agencies regularly conduct mine-identification education sessions for civilians returning to areas that are known to be heavily contaminated.
CREDIT: Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Children of WarAfghanistan ranks near the bottom of the global socioeconomic scale. It has suffered recently from the effects of a four-year drought on top of the destruction left by two decades of war. Not surprising, therefore, are the alarming statistics on childhood malnutrition, mortality, and preventable illnesses like measles: 52 percent of Afghan children are malnourished to the point of growth retardation, and more than 35,000 a year die from measles. Not as easy to calculate are the psychological effects of war on Afghan children. A 1997 UNICEF study found that 97 percent of Afghan children had witnessed violence, and 65 percent had lost a close relative.
CREDIT: U.N. Commission for Children and Armed Conflict

PovertyAfghanistan ranks among the poorest nations in the world. The per capita gross domestic product (G.D.P.) is about 700 dollars annually. Employment rates are currently unreported, but many Afghans are self-employed as subsistance farmers, and the economy's largest sector is agriculture, which constitutes approximately 60 percent of the country's economic productivity. But a four-year drought has hit farming hard, and many people are faced with dire poverty and hunger. One of the few recent growth sectors in the Afghan economy is the opium trade, which may account for as much as one third of the country's agricultural output.
CREDIT: Jessie Deeter

Tense TimesAs of summer 2004, the era of declared war was over in Afghanistan. But violence and unrest are still widespread, particularly outside the capital city of Kabul. Taliban loyalists and militia are still active in the southern part of the country, and powerful tribal warlords control other sectors. Attacks on international aid workers and military personnel are common. Child kidnapping has also become rampant, with more than 200 reported kidnappings in 2003. It is believed most of the victims have been sold into slavery. In June 2004, five members of the international medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders were shot and killed in an ambush of one of their vehicles in Afghanistan's Badghis province. After 24 years of service in Afghanistan the group decided to withdraw indefinitely from Afghanistan in July of 2004, alleging that the government refused to prosecute those responsible.
CREDIT: Jessie Deeter

Loya JirgaHistorically Afghanistan has been a country made up of distinct tribes. There are at least 11 different ethnic groups spread amongst the hills and valleys of this mountainous region. To settle disputes Afghans have traditionally used a tribal grand-assembly known as a loya jirga, which brings tribal leaders together to formulate solutions to problems. In 2002 a loya jirga of 1,500 elected and appointed representatives convened to discuss a transitional government and to begin the rebuilding process. The December 2003 loya jirga is pictured here; during this gathering 502 delegates met to discuss, edit, and ratify Afghanistan's new constitution.
CREDIT: Jon Else

BallotsThis photo shows local leaders voting to send delegates to the constitutional loya jirga in Kabul. According to the document those delegates drafted in 2004, the president and ruling body will be popularly elected officials. After the constitution was approved by a conference of regional delegates (loya jirga), international election aid workers began to blanket the country in a massive voter registration drive. At the close of registration in August of 2004, more than 90 percent of estimated eligible Afghan voters were registered. Although some Afghans have mistakenly registered twice, this error doesn't account for the high number of voters expected to turnout in October of 2004 and April of 2005 for presidential and parliamentary elections respectively. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 10.35 million eligible Afghan voters have registered; of those, 41.4 percent are women. These numbers are not final, as data continues to be collected and recorded.
CREDIT: Nick Doob

ReconstructionThe process of rebuilding Afghanistan is daunting. Homes, businesses, roadways, and basic utilities are in shambles. Most people do not have adequate sewage systems or treated drinking water. But there are hundreds of international aid projects underway to rebuild what was destroyed and construct new facilities. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pledged by donor countries and the United Nations Development Program is spearheading many reconstruction initiatives to both rebuild a working Afghan government and to help distribute aid monies to restore the country's infrastructure. Other initiatives are focusing on restarting the nation's education system, and demobilizing and disarming some 100,000 combatants.
CREDIT: Manish Swarup/AP